Stages of Device Detection

News & Announcements Device Detection Updates
22

May I suggest adding a ‘stage level’ descriptor to the app?
Somewhere on the device specific screen indicating what ‘stage of detection’ that specific device is in, tap/click to bring up a descriptor of all the stages.
This would prevent people from thinking a device might be ‘missing’ details or there are issues. Would make communication a lot easier between users-support & users-users, requiring less follow-up & back & forth especially at the lower support levels. @JamesDrewAtSense I’m sure you would agree.

Am I correct in assuming as far as smart plugs go, device detection is still 100% completely independent, smart plugs play no role in device detection, natives can be merged or separated from plugs, etc…?

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23

I don’t disagree if this would make it easier for users to know what to expect when it comes to device detection. Granted, I also wonder how much of the magic of device detection is supposed to “just work” for users, and showing devices stuck in lower stages may make some folks antsy.

Really though, the decision isn’t up to me, and you should submit it as a feature request to the product team here:

Feedback here: https://help.sense.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=14481007173779

With that, you are correct about smart plugs too—device detection in any stage doesn’t have anything to do with them and works off a separate functionality.

24

@deeeharper , so from what I see, there are 3 paths to detection now.

  1. Traditional Sense AI-based detection
  2. Smart-plug based detection (that displays only slightly differently). Same for DCM.
  3. Survey/Inventory-based multi-stage detection that may or may not result in final real-time detection. I tried to show all in one picture below.

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25

Thanks James. The lack of stage 4 detection mostly renders the monitor as ineffective.

For example, for the month of April - Always On was 54%, Other was 43% so 97% was unknown.

26

@uconnjhd,
If I were you, I would take aim at that 54% Always On with a roaming Sense-compatible Smartplug. That’s an extraordinarily large Always On %, and you shouldn’t be expecting Sense to disaggregate that component without Smartplug or DCM help.

27

I expected the Sense monitor to provide detection greater than 3%.

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@uconnjhd, can’t speak to your specific situation since you haven’t shared much:

  • How long you have had Sense installed and monitoring
  • Types of devices in your house
  • Amount of power switching “noise” in your house
  • The general scale of usage in your home

but I did this article, as a user, a while back to try to set better exceptions for fellow users:

Hopefully you can read and better assess your situation, and share. But again, 54% Always On is unusual, and you likely can get a better breakdown of that with a little work on your part. You just have to want to do it.

29

I have used Sense for 1 year. Your article does help set expectations. The article suggests that the following are usually easier to detect:
washer and dryer
oven/range
diswasher
central AC

I set up each of these as separate devices. The only one that has been detected is the AC.
The only other devices that have been detected is the refrigerator and condensate pump.

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30

@uconnjhd , a couple comments with better insight into your devices. A lot will depend on whether the washer, dryer and dishwasher have AC or DC motors in them. Sense has found my dishwasher, but just the heating element. And Sense has found my 240V oven heating element. Is it an induction range or a resistive cooktop ?

And again, the 54% Always On is not going to be disaggregated (broken down) without help from a smart plug.

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31

My Always On ranges between 50 - 60% of my Total usage.
My Always On bubble is usually around 130% of my total Always On.
Always On Estimated Unknown is about 2/3 of my total Always On.
I have 50 smart plugs & add on CT’s.
My Average Use is 60% higher than my state but lower than the average usage Anywhere compared to 4,600 similar homes.
My Other has no stats, as most everything is covered by a smart plug.

My Always On is ‘artificially high’.
About 1/4 of my Estimated Unknown are devices that switch depending on time of day, ie: device 1 on during day, device 2 on at night.
The rest of my Always On Estimated Unknown are devices that are not individually Always On devices but cycle frequently enough that the combination of them count towards Always On.
In other words my Always On Estimated Unknown is my minimum usage, excluding nearly all devices that are actually Always On.

My last reset was on July 15th of last year. Since the start of 2025 Sense has only able to (natively) detect 1% of my actual usage. A coffee maker, my stove top, microwave & a miter saw that I used to make about 10 cuts in some base molding. That’s it.

70.0% of my usage in 2025 has been accounted for using smart Plugs & CT’s.
That leaves about 30% of my total usage unaccounted for (in Sense).
A lot of that is my recessed lighting & ceiling fan that are on (the no longer supported) Wiser switches, most interior lighting, battery chargers, tools, vacuums and other things that get plugged in randomly wherever.

Fyi, half of those 50 smart plugs are outlets on HS300 strips, more for convenience than energy monitoring as many only account for less than .5% of total.

Native detection has massively gone down hill. Most of my resistive heating elements & motors the easiest things for Sense to detect have not been re-detected.

3% native detection in an ‘active’ house is quite good comparatively. Though understandably extremely disappointing.

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32

Hi,

Sense tends to detect devices based on the information it gathers for those individual devices, so if there were hypothetically only one device in a home and Sense didn’t have the data/device patterns to detect it, Sense in that context would have a 0% detection rate. What I’m saying is Sense doesn’t base detection on what percentage of the home it is detecting.

I’m sure you are aware of this, but I want to point it out as we should look more at what devices it does detect. This all depends on the kinds of devices you have and then to get more granular the brands and signals those devices produce and if Sense can match them with enough confidence to detect them.

33

Hi,
If you want me to look a little more into this for you, send me a private message. I’m happy to discuss info publicly here and provide generic answers, but if you want me to provide more pointed answers, I can, but only to you.

With that said, device detection is automatic and, once deployed, not something we can change. The system determines it on its own, so while it’s not always clear why a device does not detect, it usually gets tied up in Sense not being confident enough about what device it is.
I agree with Kevin as we can work on tackling your always on which generally speaking is ambient baseline wattage that doesn’t always produce a clear signal for detection.

Thanks let me know how I can help.

34

Part of the reason this may be happening is an effort to have fewer partially detected devices or something showing up like “mystery heat” or “motor 1,” which tend to only be components of bigger devices. There are positives and negatives to this approach, but what we find is that with a lot of partially detected devices—say only a “motor” is detected for the AC, where what was detected was a fan in it—there is an effort to get more comprehensive devices to detect rather than only parts of devices. This, in some cases, may cause fewer devices to detect than previously, but also fewer partially detected devices that don’t give the whole story for that device.

I would send me a private message if you want me to look into your always on. I may have a few answers for it but may need to look at your case individually. If you want to then share what I find you can let the folks know here :slight_smile:

36

When using the ‘Add Device’ feature if you add 3 of the same device (ie 3 Fridges); will they not progress through the stages until all 3 are detected? Will all three devices remain as one device when they all hit Stage 4? Ideally, I would want all 3 devices reporting separately, not as one. Should I leave the 3 combined (currently at Stage 2), or remove (2) devices so that they all report individually?

37

hmm… If that is the case behind the scenes that would explain a lot.
I do see the needs to further analyze data to reduce component only detection, but if that causes some devices not to be detected at all that’s a problem.
With the new staged detection, would manually adding these devices help?

I really want to suggest adding a way to (dare I use the words) ‘train Sense’ where a user could tell Sense a detection is a device which would ‘lock it’ in & stop Sense from trying to connect it to something else. Or a detection is a component which would tell Sense to dig deeper and look for connections.

I’m thinking simple resistive like, toaster, aquarium heaters, heat tape (pipes, gutters), some flooring, heat pads, heated blankets, etc… nothing else to possibly detect, except maybe L/M/H settings VS things like electric dryer, heater with fan, defrost element, air fryer, convection oven, etc…
Simple motors like a Sump pump, fans, air purifiers, pool pumps, etc… VS HVAC, dehumidifier, variable speed pumps, washer, dryer, etc…

Leaving the initial detection alone so Sense can still try to identify what type of ‘basic’ device it is.

On the other hand I can see device convolution being an issue. The opposite of device 1, 2, 3, 4, etc…

In these cases minimal (and reversable) human intervention / interaction with the ML/AI process could be a good thing.
“this is a guess” = keep looking. “this is a component” = try to find the connection. “this is what it is” = hold up.

Don’t think much can be done with my Always On, or at least anything too meaningful for me. If you think my situation would help someone else out…

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38

Sense uses separate processes for preliminary and full device detection. Stages one through three provide early estimates of a device’s wattage based on initial data. Stage four employs a distinct algorithm that confirms and registers a device once sufficient data points are gathered. As a result, although you may see early wattage readings for your three fridges in stages one through three, full detection in stage four will occur only when the system has collected enough data for any one fridge. It may be tricky for the stage four system to detect all three fridges, though it is not certain.

Our Insights tool works alongside the legacy detection system to deliver faster visibility into device activity without altering the full-detection algorithm.

For additional context, I monitored my relatively new Samsung fridge that remains in stage three. The fridge has built-in energy monitoring in the SmartThings app. You may notice that Sense estimates tend to overcount slightly, while the “neighbourhood” average in the SmartThings app is often closer to Sense’s guess.

Snagit 2024 2025-05-09 09.42.51
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I am also not 100% confident that the SmartThings energy Monitoring is ground truth either but it will take some more tinkering to try confirm that.

Thanks hope this helps.

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39

hmm… If that is the case behind the scenes that would explain a lot.
I do see the needs to further analyze data to reduce component only detection, but if that causes some devices not to be detected at all that’s a problem.
With the new staged detection, would manually adding these devices help?

As mentioned earlier, stages one through three are enhancements to stage four: they work together in Sense, but once a device reaches stage four it replaces the stage one through three estimate. Otherwise, the staged detection feature operates in tandem with stage four and does not impact final detection.

I really want to suggest adding a way to (dare I use the words) ‘train Sense’ where a user could tell Sense a detection is a device which would ‘lock it’ in & stop Sense from trying to connect it to something else. Or a detection is a component which would tell Sense to dig deeper and look for connections.

That is a helpful suggestion and something I would likely use if it were implemented. I cannot speak to how it would work in practice, but to ensure your feedback reaches the appropriate team, please submit your idea here: https://help.sense.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=14481007173779. I will also forward your comments from this interaction. Please note that implementation decisions are ultimately beyond my control.

Leaving the initial detection alone so Sense can still try to identify what type of ‘basic’ device it is.

Initial device detection remains unchanged and functions as a separate feature.

In these cases minimal (and reversable) human intervention / interaction with the ML/AI process could be a good thing.
“this is a guess” = keep looking. “this is a component” = try to find the connection. “this is what it is” = hold up.

That is an interesting idea. It raises questions: does a user know better than Sense which devices are on? Do we want to place that burden on the user? What happens if someone intentionally or unintentionally makes poor selections in the app which may alter the readings? While it may matter less for a single device, any attempt to account for all wattage could affect the detection of other devices. I am not arguing for or against the concept, but rather illustrating considerations regarding user expectations of Sense.

Don’t think much can be done with my Always On, or at least anything too meaningful for me. If you think my situation would help someone else out…

We are exploring new ideas for presenting the Sense UI and improving feature usefulness. While progress may seem slow, discussions and development are happening.

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40

I too had entered all of the pertinent information on my central A/C and heat system as well as, my oven & stove, my clothes washer & dryer. Sense had ‘discovered’ my hot water heater. I entered everything, make, model number and even the serial numbers in hope that sense would monitor them. Nope! Nothing, nada, zero.

What Sense inadvertently did was, it decided that my hot water heater was now my clothes dryer, AND Sense never re-discovered my hot water heater. After waiting quite some time for new discoveries, I decided that I probably needed to reboot my Sense. (knowing that I would lose 2 years worth of data) I bit the bullet and reset the unit, lost all data, and started over. It didn’t do any good. All Sense is monitoring are 2 refrigerators, garage door opener, it re-discovered my hot water heater, several room overhead lights, and our microwave. I haven’t gone to the trouble of re-entering all the make, model & serial numbers of all of our appliances, since it does no good. You’d think the Sense would take the GOOD information that I entered and apply it, but I guessed wrong. To the best of my estimate, Sense is monitoring less than 25% of my daily energy usage. Still hoping and waiting.

41

@uconnjhd , you should probably look at this given your high Always On percentage.
@obscuredtrip offers an accurate distillation of many similar issues I have also seen here with Always On - it’s a statistical number based on whole house usage, not based on disaggregation. So Overlapping Devices (as @obscuredtrip is experiencing) or Hairy Edge devices (as illustrated in the thread below), can both artificially grow Always On.

42

I guess what I’m really wondering if manually adding a device would show if Sense had a hunch of what it was.
I’m tempted to add a couple things that were previously natively detected quite early on (with other resets) but not this time so they are behind a smart plug. I know they would be double counted (sort of), my inquisitive mind wants to know. I realize stages are new though I imagine @kevin1 is already thinking about how ‘roamers’ could be incorporated to all this.

Will do.

Many of us definitely do. Especially so when they are behind smart plugs.

Not a burden at all, would be really helpful. Sense already has the “this is a guess” option, though I don’t think it does anything behind the scenes. Could made this an “advanced user” option either selectable or if Sense is worried about rogue users only backend enable able.

Hence “reversable” or change at any time.

Very good to hear.

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